A recently published collection of illustrations turning some of history’s most odious dictators into cute and sexy moe bishoujo has been pre-emptively slammed by the Japanese themselves for its historical insensitivity…

The mook (“magazine/book”) in question is “Nyotaika!! Dictators of the World,” on sale in Akiba and elsewhere – a sampling of its contents:

Chairman Mao, of the PRC, has understandably been arousing comment even in China:

Kim Il-sung, of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea:

Saddam Hussein, of Iraq:

Adolf Hitler, of Germany (the palette and paintbrush alludes to Hitler’s failed career as an artist):

Joseph Stalin, of the USSR:

Benito Mussolini, of Italy:

Pol Pot, of Cambodia:

Josip Tito, of Yugoslavia:

Fidel Castro, of Cuba:

Rafael Trujillo, of the Dominican Republic:

Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi, of Libya:

Omar al-Bashir, of Sudan:

The rest:

For now the mook seems to be in more danger of outraging the Japanese than the foreign hordes, if the sort of reaction visible online is anything to go by:

“This is in terrible taste – why do otaku have no sense when it comes to this?”

“This is poor taste. You shouldn’t make light of historical wounds like this. This shames all Japanese.”

“The trouble with these moe images is that they do not incorporate any of the historical circumstances of each personage, that’s why they aren’t really funny.”

“You might as well realise a book of moe serial killers. The level of bad taste is the same.”

“Definitely banned in Germany.”

“Kim, please join AKB48!”

“The one of Pol Pot is absolutely out there. Just embarrassing. You call yourselves famous illustrators! For shame! Actually none of them are famous so I guess that doesn’t matter.”

“Funny that we Japanese go nuts over anything ‘insensitive’ relating to 3/11, radiation, the atomic bombings, or his imperial majesty, and then we come out with this stuff. Is it OK just because these countries are far away?”

“Because all the sites are picking this up there is a danger people overseas might find out about this!”

“Once this is pirated and uploaded online there is no going back for the publisher! You can’t withdraw it then!”

“I’ve rarely been so uncomfortable about something like this. Die, illustrators and publisher! You shame Japan! This is taking things too far!”

“Is this how we repay the kind nations who helped us after 3/11! This is on the same level as China or Korea! I wish I could believe this is all a plot to make people think that!”

“Guys you are being way to serious. Save your mock outrage for FB and Twitter please.”

“Why so serious in here…”

“Quit whining about it you morons. It is for Japanese niche consumption. At worst 4chan and some Chinese boards will hear of it, CNN isn’t going to be all over it like they were with Rapelay. Get off the Internet, fools.”

“Idiotic books like this are the reason China and Korea constantly accuse us of having an incorrect understanding of history.”

“Who knows what reaction this stuff could provoke? Especially when dealing with the Islamic world, they going crazy over mockery there.”

“Get over it. It’s on the same level as some of our weird porn videos. All this can be taken as evidence that Japan is genuinely a nation enjoying healthy freedom of expression, so pay it no mind.”

“There’s worse stuff out to there to get upset over. This country really is peaceful to get worked up over something like this.”

“Hitler is weak. Without being told so you’d never guess it was him. If you’re going to draw dictators, at least draw them with some of their demonic qualities shown through strongly.”

“The girls here are basically just wearing some of the dictator’s outfits.”

“Right, what are we looking at? They don’t even resemble their models properly. What’s the point of turning them into girls if they have none of the original’s characteristics?”

“Stalin is clearly tops here”

There is also the rather perplexing “I wish the Japanese would stop this stuff – Japan has never known the true horrors of dictatorship.”

Whatever the reaction it provokes, the tome should at least be free from accusations of political bias in Japan’s favour – Hideki Tojo is included (though not, of course, Japan’s wartime and postwar emperor, who by some accounts was just as culpable).

384 Comments

I don’t see enough stories about Japanese anime/manga fans and gamers who vocally dislike the trend of making everything moe or kawaisa, or rebuking culturally insensitive, socially unaware otaku. It’s refreshing, to be honest.

I love how out of all the dictators in the list. Pol Pot was the only one that couldnt be given any sort of positive light at all. Like even with the most notorious of them, such as Hitler and Stalin, did positive things at some point to either gain the peoples’ trusts or just by some sort of accident, or boosted morale somehow.

Pol Pot was just a straight up monster. Seized power violently, took over, immediately moved the entire urban population into the countryside, most of them being resigned to death for varying reasons, and killed even more just for shits and giggles, and even more died from starvation, and led a great example of how not to run things. Beyond that, he did nothing.

apparently people who says it’s a shame have their panties in a knot. this is why humanity can’t move on for the better. they’re too serious in clinging to the past. im not saying remembering the past is a bad thing but the guys there are mostly dead. they couldn’t even lift a finger so what difference does it make?

Must be a Japanese thing to be ashamed of things that you shouldn’t be ashamed of… In America, people always (yes, always) make jokes about tragic things… even 9/11… Of course, not all make jokkes or think anything regarding 9/11 could be funny, and I don’t blame them… but that happened onlt 11 years ago; most of these dictators are old news!

Hmm wish they would throw in some more accuracy. Like Hitler’s paint stuff is a nice touch. Gadaffi looks pretty similar to the real.
Not much a fan of Mao’s or Mussolini’s. They couldve been done better IMO. Also what the fuck is up with Kim? I dont see any similarities to the actual.

In fairness, this the context of the comments matters – hardcore 2ch threads vs comments on Twitter or a site reposting the thread for a wider audience can attract a different crowd. Even on 2ch the response can vary hugely depending on which board it was posted to.

Then I can call upon my allies to destroy whatever is left. We’ll strategically take turns with the front, while the others viciously attack from behind. Then we’ll carry out a number of controlled explosion all over her messy white territory and make her lick it clean afterwards.

They lacked Porfirio Díaz, Antonio López de Santa Anna and the semi-dictatorial regimen of the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party in Spanish). Since Mexico is among the few countries with more than one dictatorship.

I don’t know why they have Mustafa Kamal Ataturk in there as a dictator. He is considered the father of the modern Turkish State and it’s first president. On a visit to turkey several years ago I asked a friend about Ataturk and he said “Ataturk is my father, He is my country” and he wasn’t kidding around.

I mentioned the same thing about Ataturk somewhere else in the post. If you visit Turkey he is looked upon as the father of the modern Turkish state. Like George Washington is in the States. Never seen him portrayed as a dictator.

If japs really want to know why no one takes their sensitivities seriously, they should stop making a fuss about cartoons and do something about their base mentality.

For once, I want japan to make an anime about Zainichi koreans and korean forced laborers during ww2, and their plights about losing their homeland for real and forced to be part of japanese imperialism.

As in, the currently airing Bokoku no Akito Code Geass OVA should instead make ‘akito’ actually zainichi korean, ‘elevens’ actually ‘chosenjin’, Leila in to black haired yamato nadeshiko that knows taekwondo and is destined to fall into love with the actually oppressed lone boy solider known as ‘akito’ while fighting to save korea from brutal japanese occupation, all the while remembering how her family escaped from japan because they disagreed with shift into militarism and discrimination against their asian neighbors.

Instead, we have Code Geass fantasy land where japs can masturbate to their laughable idea of victimhood and try desperately to convince themselves that they are always the innocent, poor children being bullied by the evil world power that is not-so-subtly the west and USA.

Bitch please.

Of course, something as truthful and honest as that is never something japanese will have the guts to do.

Lol this is hilarious, as long as it isnt making them out to be awesome and just ridiculing them- brilliant satire. The Sudan guy I think is like really strict islamist , thus such a humiliating portrayal of him!!! HAHAHA

It just looks incredibly stupid. And I don’t mean offensive by that. Just plain old “roll your eyes” lame. SOme dorks think moe just improves things automatically, but to me looks like a major reach to be noticed by nerds.

Well, the difference here is that there are still people around who have lost friends/relations to such people. Not everyone finds it cute to have the one who butchered your family portrayed in such a manner. *shrugs* weird huh?

‘coz I imagined saying “Where’s the Moe Moe Pol Pot” to a lot of jeers and “u a jerk” anon trolls, but whoops, there she is!

Sooner or later, IMO, they are going to do a “Moe Moe Rape of Nanking”… That’ll be a real riot… Especially when they make the Kawaii Guro toys in CHINA…

“Worker! Why you riot? We are people’s republic?”

“Official! I know Marx say last Kapitalist sell us rope to hang him… But this… THIS!?”

Shows massive 2nd/3rd printing of Moe Moe Rape of Nanking and the first wave of “Nanking Guro Moe” toys to come out, all of it covered in lettering insulting China, making it that as if the USA went back into 1900s “Yellow Peril” mode and cute FuManchu toys they’d seem tame in comparison…

If this is upsetting people why didnt daiteikoku do the same? Its portrayal of mussolini, hitler and “katherine” was hilarious but a bit in bad tastes. Idolism instead of fashism 😀
Anyway, this isnt the first time japan has moeified dictators. I dont really think there is anything overtly wrong about it. Tis meant as a parady is all.
Like a weird modern japanese political satire cartoon.

Well so long as it doesn’t glorify them, I’m fine with it. If it just portrays them as cute little girls then it takes away from their nefarious reputation (and it could be argued, political appeal as well).

They should have had the Showa emperor there, or at least Hideki Tojo. Maybe some American mass murderer too like Curtis Le-May or LBJ.

This is desensitization at its finest. Completely desensitizes these dictators and their acts. This however is both good and bad. The desensitization may help those affected move on or help reduce their perceived effects on the world, but sadly doesn’t do justice to their victims… Kinda torn here.

Shouldn’t Ghaddafi have an army of bishoujos? You know, the amazon brigade. In general many of them are pretty generic. And what the hell is with Kim Jong the idol?
Tito and the mini-nations was awesome and right to the point, though. Sequel in the ninties wasn’t so daww, I guess.

…. I’m an Italian, democratic as you can get, and Mussolini made me laugh… but I still feel a little dirty.

(you know what they should do? A Civilization leaders moe-mod. Ghandi is such a motherfucking nuclear yandere already.)

i don’t see too much to be offended about here. perhaps it’s a transgressive concept. well, i have to say i like it. on the symbolic level, i find this to be some form of “comedic relief,” even if it’s in bad taste. some of the artists could’ve done a better job though.

“Quit whining about it you morons. It is for Japanese niche consumption. At worst 4chan and some Chinese boards will hear of it, CNN isn’t going to be all over it like they were with Rapelay. Get off the Internet, fools.”

“A recently published collection of illustrations turning some of history’s most odious dictators into cute and sexy moe bishoujo has been pre-emptively slammed by the Japanese themselves for its historical insensitivity”

And yet no one bitches when Japan changes WWII events so that Japan is on the Allied Forces side, like in Strike Witches.

Well, I have to say I don’t see the problem here, even when I’m Chinese. The book is just an illustration collection, nothing really that deep, why not just ignore those stupid “sensitive contents” and enjoy the hard works from the artists?

“Funny that we Japanese go nuts over anything ‘insensitive’ relating to 3/11, radiation, the atomic bombings, or his imperial majesty, and then we come out with this stuff. Is it OK just because these countries are far away?” Wow someone give this man a medal because he speaks the truth.

Sad thing is, everything the guy mentions is 100% worth going nuts over. Radiation was a threat to Japan’s citizens, bombings resulted in thousands of needless casualties, the emperor is a figure of great respect, whereas this booklet is just a collection of artwork, a work of humor.

Yep, it’s worth bitching about the nukes, and I’m totally serious. It’s worth bitching about that and political figures who made possibile the epic fail of Japan in ’44-45 or who supports sad political figures, even in retrospect.

In other words, it’s worth bitching about political figures at the helm of Japan that times, like Hirohito.

I just thought she was weird… She doesn’t really have anything that links her to Kim Il-sung, unless it’s a take on similarities between japanese idols and the worship of NK leaders…which would be pretty darn ingenious.

It’s like they drew a random idol picture, then said “Let’s make this… uh… Kim Il-sung.” She doesn’t even look Asian, let alone anything remotely like him. Even her attire doesn’t look like anything he would be associated with wearing. I thought it was maybe the wrong caption at first, but the name tag verifies it’s meant to be him.

The rest of the girls don’t look much like their corresponding dictators either, but rather like random girls doing a poor job at cosplaying them. Overall, this collection is pretty poorly done.

Consider for a moment that near all of those dictators are incredibly ugly, so moefying them will take a lot of effort to get it kinda right. Kim-Il Sung’s idolization is properly parodied by turning him into a moe idol singer. Besides, have you never noticed Anime girls usually don’t look Asian?

The actual detail put in this stuff is incredible. The paint in Hitler’s image allures to his failed paintor career; just like Gaddafi is painting Lybia’s flag green and Trujillo renames Santo Domingo “Ciudad Trujillo”, and Hussein with his gold AK 47.

Hitler-chan likes to think of herself as a great artist, but the truth is her paints are horrible. Everyone at school made fun of her, so she decided to kill them all. Hitler-chan can be very mean sometimes, but she’s just so cute when she’s mad.

Would Death-sama be a shy tsundre loli type with princess outfit thinking shes a adult

or

The big breasted older sister type who is just a little too easy going around the house in the way she is dressed during the weekend mornings meaning just wearing a long lose shirt and panties and doesn’t feel shy Because your her brother

Everything negative leads to something positive on a long enough timeline. Being able to laugh at a situation without laughing at misfortune is that which causes humanity to transcend its weaknesses and bring knowledge and light into ignorance and darkness.

Treating darkness with the respect (or lack thereof) that it deserves is what causes people to have the ability to move on.

I understand the premise your talking about. However darkness is not respected nor does it need it. It runs on fear and intimidation, appearance sake it looks formidable but it’s the weakest of all. It needs to be understood, warned about, and conquered until the end of time, in that great day.

Looks like some Japanese are still ashamed not wanting to know their past and other countries through moe, a big mistake. Here in the USA the stupid people actually believe our country isn’t like that.

As I said, with the respect it deserves, or lack thereof. As in none. You respect your enemy only so much as you need to defeat him really.

@ Anon 17:49

Which result would you like? That I love my life, my family, and have a meaningful relationship with all those close to me, or that I’m in a successful job making a good amount of money? People like yourself only judge on those things anyway. The only reason I said what I said is because I live that way, so… well there ya go.

How about an anime centered around Kawaii Hitler’s life in a school. She joins the art club once she “borrows” Poland-senpai’s brush. She then joins an art contest (World Art 2) and competes against the likes for Russia-chan and America-chan with the help of Mussolini-chan.

Or the story of Castro-chan trying to make a baseball team (Fidel Castro was almost signed by the Pirates or Yankees, iirc)

I don’t know why Juan (Domingo) Perón is considered a dictator in a lot of places outside Argentina. He wasn’t exactly a good guy, but he was far from being a dictator.
Videla is The Dictator when you think of one in Argentina.

I would totally buy this if i had any chance to get my hands on it. The topic is fairly interesting and it seems to be done with quite some thought, showing great humor. Let me note that i especially like Hitler-chan, ger-fag hier after all.

For once, I want japan to make an anime about Zainichi koreans and korean forced laborers during ww2, and their plights about losing their homeland for real and forced to be part of japanese imperialism.

As in, the currently airing Bokoku no Akito Code Geass OVA should instead make ‘akito’ actually zainichi korean, ‘elevens’ actually ‘chosenjin’, Leila in to black haired yamato nadeshiko that knows taekwondo and is destined to fall into love with the actually oppressed lone boy solider known as ‘akito’ while fighting to save korea from brutal japanese occupation, all the while remembering how her family escaped from japan because they disagreed with shift into militarism and discrimination against their asian neighbors.

Instead, we have Code Geass fantasy land where japs can masturbate to their laughable idea of victimhood and try desperately to convince themselves that they are always the innocent, poor children being bullied by the evil world power that is not-so-subtly the west and USA.

Bitch please.

Of course, something as truthful and honest as that is never something japanese will have the guts to do.

I’m impressed, Sankaku posted a bunch of news about a lot of different things today, rather than another AKB48 or SAO flood.
This was also a dumb idea on the publishers part but worse things have been published elsewhere. I’m sure the illustrators could have made the works more relevant while still being cute, though.

Japan needs to know that you can’t “moefy” everything and anything, the line has been crossed here.
These are dictators responsible of many innocent deaths and abuse we’re talking about not cute and sympathic characters.
Whats next? A comedy manga about jew extermination prison camp?

Obviously, you’ve never seen the cover on the Dragonlance novel The Urda. Hot Ogre chick with green skin, fangs, big boobs & hourglass figure in a clingy dress. You can moeify anything if you’re perverted enough.